Rome mayor registers gay marriages

Gay marriage is illegal in Italy. Interior minister Angelino Alfano recently sent a notice to local prefects saying any registrations of gay marriages celebrated abroad would be voided.

Rome mayor Ignazio Marino received a standing ovation today as he arrived in the city hall reception room where the couples, their children, friends and family gathered to make their marriages official in Rome’s city ledger.

One by one, the couples were called up to witness Marino transcribe the date and locations of their weddings: Spain, Portugal, United States and elsewhere.